ReviewZ: Sword Art Online
To choose between the virtual world and the real world has
always been a tough decision. The limitless possibilities of the virtual world
and the warmth and truth of the real world, each have their own attractions.
The cold, harsh truth of the real world and the fear of losing yourself in the
virtual world repel the thoughts of choosing between them. But what if the
virtual world is your reality, where your choices and decision could cost you
severe and permanent consequences? A virtual reality so cruel where life and
death hangs in the balance.
Chibis~
Welcome all to my first ever anime review. Every
review is a first so don’t shoot me down. Today, I’ll be reviewing the anime
Sword Art Online, which took the anime world by storm two years ago, 2012. I
considered it “Anime of the Year 2012” and some considered it the best anime
ever until Shingeki no Kyojin came along and slices it on its nape. But I still
have yet to find an anime that I would consider my favourite, so I am still
searching for that ray of hope. I realised that there is a review, sort of, of
SAO previously but hey, it’s my take on it. It may seem weird to review an
anime that has aired and ended for so long. One reason would be that “I felt
like it”. The other would be that Gun Gale Online is just around the corner.
Next season huh… Just a few more days to go. Since this is a review, there are
possibilities of spoilers here and there, so SPOILER ALERT! But seriously, it
has been two years since it aired and if you haven’t watched it, you disappoint
me. Oh, I just realised I made a reference to the anime. So without further
ado, LINK START!
Here we go
Firstly, lets start with the story. If you can
pick up on my prologue, the story resembles it quite similarly. The year is 2022
where technology has advance so far that reading the randomness and complexity
of the brain became reality. The Nervegear was created as a result from this
achievement where the mind is able to dive into a virtual world where the five
senses are co-operated in, allowing real time responses, as the virtual has
become reality. The anime is broken up into two parts. The first is SAO, on
Aincrad and the second in ALO, on Alfheim. It follows our 14-year-old Kirigaya
Kazuto or Kirito embarking on the first ever VRMMORPG or Virtual Reality
Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (that’s a mouthful) called Sword
Art Online, SAO, where he was previously a beta tester for. During the first
episode itself, shit hits the fan as the game creator and master introduces a
particular feature in the game. Players can’t log out until they complete the
game, clearing all 100 hundred floors and defeating the final boss. Oh, and one
more thing. Dying in the game leads to your death in the real world. Doesn’t
that put you in a spot? With no escape, Kirito decided to become stronger in
order to survive the jaws of death in the game. Well, if only it was all about
the game. If only.
Argh!
As the story progresses on, new characters are
introduced and also various things were taken note of. Beta testers of the game
are hated as they are seen to be exploiting all the good areas and quest for
levelling up, leaving all the new player to fend for themselves. Many had died
and the first floor hasn’t been cleared yet. A mysterious girl in a cloak was
introduced, followed by Agil, Kibaou and Daviel, where the two latter seem to
have very little airtime. Why? During their first floor raid, Daviel decided to
get the last attack on the floor boss, Kobold, but was killed due to an unknown
update of the boss’s weapon.
For goodness sake, just take the health potion!
It was also then where Kirito’s bad appearance to other
players was formed. He took the blame and at the same time labelling himself as
a beater (beta tester + cheater). From then on, he went solo, endangering his
life even further. Best decision ever. Well, that was one third of the first
part of the story, SAO. The choices and junctures he comes across of being a
solo player and not being strong enough are covered quite well. The ending for
episode 3 was really tear-jerking. That episode was amazing to me. They built
so much and finish it off nicely in just one episode.
Ah... Episode 3. Best episode ever
The following two thirds of SAO then focuses on how Kirito
breaks from his “being alone and no one will get hurt or die” mindset and how
his relationships with other characters are establish. It also tells about the
encounter with Yui and how him and the main heroine’s, Asuna, relationship
progress on from the second episode.
Honestly speaking, the last two parts of SAO was a bit disappointing. I was kind of expecting more on the gaming aspects and maybe some flashback on his past or previous bosses but it turn into a romance anime then. Even though I said that, I did enjoy it like any normal romance anime.
Next is ALO, where we finally get to see the
real world again. It is also the introduction of the imouto character, Suguha. It
begins with a Kendo sparring match between the former hero, Kirito, and the
quarterfinalist imouto, Suguha, which the latter obviously win, as there is no
way game experience helps you in real life. It was revealed after clearing SAO,
Asuna didn’t die but she hasn’t regained conscious yet, but Kirito visits her
often. In that first episode for ALO, the antagonist that I totally despise,
Sugou Nobuyuki, was introduced. The story’s motive was then set, where the
protagonist is going to save a damsel in distress in an unknown world, quite
similar to most Disney shows. But his quest was not without struggles, as he
has to face the strongest player in the land as well as real life disputes when
he founds out his sister was helping him, unbeknown to his sister that the
person she was helping was him.
How can you not know? He looks similar.
Ah, the tragedy. What cruel fate to have brought this upon
him. Well, the ending was quite expected and I felt bad for Suguha as she holds
feelings for her onii-chan. It then ended off with a celebration of SAO being
cleared and the rebirth of Aincrad. The ending sort of hinted a second season
was going to come as the mood was up high with New Aincrad.
<Holy aura>
Moving on to characters.
The protagonist of the anime and the famous Black Swordsman
of SAO, Kirigaya Kazuto or the player. Kirito. His character is portrayed as
someone who is not very good with communicating with others, which is why he
can be quite bold and direct. He is also seen to be enjoying teasing others and
getting on their nerves, which are one of the ways, he builds a relationship.
His character seems to be calm most of the time handling difficult situations
well, not breaking under pressure. But there are moments where he will become
fierce and aggressive when facing against tough situations like in a battle for
example. This shows that he is not strong, as he tends to let his emotions take
control. An example would be in episode 3, where Sachi’s death really tore him
apart as he blames himself for not being strong enough (refer to Sachi’s profile
a few paragraphs down). Anyway, Kirito’s name has risen up the ranks of being
one of the most OP characters in SAO, ALO, GGO (spoilers) and also the anime
world itself.
What's wrong Asuna?
Next is the Flash, not from Justice League, but from KoB
(Knights of Blood). The female lead, which was in the lead group responsible
for penetration as she was the vice-chief for the guild and also the in-game
wife to the Black Swordsman or Twin Blade Swordsman, Asuna’s personality
changes as the story progresses on. When she was first introduced, she seem as
a quiet, mysterious girl stuck in a death game. She also had a mindset of not
mind dying as she feels that even if she fights, in the end she will eventually
die killed by the game itself. But upon meeting Kirito, her outlook on life
began to change. She was later introduced as a tsundere character after KoB
scouted her. Due to that, she takes the game very seriously as she wants to
clear the game as soon as possible. Her relationship with Kirito became closer
and it is seen that she depends on him greatly. She also follows Kirito in
letting her emotions get the better of her. Her character changes during the
ALO arc where she turned from a tsundere charater to a dere character.
Yui, oishii ka?
When Yui was introduced, the romance life for Kirito and
Asuna deepens further as they found more reasons to clear the game as soon as
possible. Yui is a Mental Health Counseling Program 001 or Yui-MHCP001, which
was created by the Cardinal System in SAO in order to monitor the mental
parameters of the players in the game. She is seen to be without fear as she
faced The Fatal Scythe which Kirito and Asuna couldn’t defeat or hold back. She
is also given the ability to understand the human emotions where in that very
same episode, Yui was about to be deleted by Cardinal and she cried tears of
joy as she get to be with her in-game parents.
She was later revive back in ALO
as the game adopted the same Cardinal System from SAO. Her form also changes to
a navigational pixie to suit the game’s requirements.
The ALO and SAO characters
In episode 3, Kirito was invited to join the guild Moonlit Black Cats which was a guild containing members from a high school computer club. Sachi is one of the members. Sachi is seen to be a shy and coward girl who fears death and she revealed that she never intended to leave the Town of Beginnings. Her profession is a lancer as she fear battles but she tried wielding a sword and shield before. Kirito and her develop a strong relationship and it was hinted that she might be Kirito’s first love interest. He vowed to protect her but unfortunately he couldn’t keep his promise as the group got caught in a trap while clearing dungeons. Her death is one of the factors that led Kirito to return to being solo and refrains from joining guilds. Even though her character appearance was short, she was one of the characters that had a big impression on me. And if you look closely, Yui bears a strong resemblance with Sachi.
The animation for SAO is quite amazing considering that a
lot of work has to be done due to the places changing quite often. Though some
of the character’s faces looks similar, their character designs are develop
nicely but a bit more should be given to develop the back story of the
characters. The scenery there is just amazing. I even used it as one of the models for my oil pastel painting.
Floria Gate Plaza
Hill of Memories
The soundtrack for the anime is astounding. One of the best soundtracks
I’ve heard so far. The composer is the great Yuki Kajiura with songs such as “Swordland”
and “At Nightfall” that are absolutely amazing. They really match the mood of
the anime as well as the setting.
The opening and ending sequences of SAO are
brilliant. LiSA with “Crossing Field” and Haruka Tomatsu with “Yume Sekai”, the
SAO arc feels complete with it as it compliments the story well.
For the ALO
arc, we have Eir Aoi for the opening with “Innocence” and Luna Haruna with
“Overfly” for the ending.
Both ALO songs are my favourite for the anime as you
can feel the emotions poured into the songs that match the visuals and story so
perfectly. The opening screams impact with its mild beat and great build
up, while the ending provides a calming and relaxing mood after such an
adventure, just like cooling down after working out.
Crossing Field by LiSA
Innocence by Aoi Eir
The prominent moment for me in the anime would most definitely
be Sachi’s death. It was such a wonderful episode as they could tell so much
and build up so much in such little time. When she died, I didn’t notice that I
started tearing up . It’s as though I could somehow feel the amount of grief
and sadness that Kirito is facing through. It was refreshing to see such an
episode, as amazing episodes happen quite
rarely and it should be unexpected to create a big impact and leave a deep
impression. I find myself actually rooting for Sachi and Kirito to be together
rather than with Asuna. I don’t hate her but I also don’t like her. Maybe it’s
just how she is portrayed in the anime. Why!? Why must you die?! Sachi, why!?
What cruel fate…
Arigatou, Sayonara...
I should tally up the score for my first review. I have
split them up to Story, Characters, Animation, Soundtrack, Prominent Moment and
my Personal Enjoyment where the last two serves as one, making it out of five.
Each component can score up to 20 points so making it a total of 100 as max. I
reward SAO 74.5 out of 100 with its soundtrack and prominent moment pulling the
points up. I recommend watching it as it a great anime to watch as it has that
“what if” factor on how technology in the future would be like, revolutionising the gaming world as well as our life. I would also recommend playing the
opening sequences on osu! as it is so much fun and challenging. Since GGO is
around the corner you should definitely watch SAO, marathon it if possible. I
am really looking forward to GGO even though I had already spoiled myself (read
the novels). I have doubts of it being a 25 episode series as the GGO arc is
quite short and if they make it 25 episodes it would probably be more on ALO
events or maybe quests that the group does. They might join the Mother’s
Rosario arc with GGO. I really hope they continued to Underworld though. Ah,
that’s a lot of spoiler-like hints…
Well then time to log out. See you on Gun Gale Online!
Ja, mata ne~
Written by Zwei
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